Thanks for the info man, yea i like basic flashlight something like edc with powerful output good cooling - driver on cheap, for the price of XinTD i can buy 2x M1 and the difference for my usage will be minimal, and ye i’m not tint snob, thanks one more time for your help!
The Convoy C8 as reviewed is still $15.68 after BLF code at FT. The XinTD is $29.95. Difference is $14.27, I rounded the difference to $14. Not sure why you mentioned the M1, we be talkin’ ’bout the C8 
Great review!
It motivated me to buy the smooth reflector version of the light, and I was not disappointed!
Very beautifully made! 
With a dedomed XM-L the hotspot is just about ~1,8…2m diameter at 50m distance.
I am hoping for lots of clouds on new moon to try it out. It’s just to bright at night at this time of the year to really enjoy flashlights.
If you care: some beamshot from 4m away (I only have my phone as camera, so outdoor shots won’t be nice to look at. ;-))
The round hotspot on the right is from the C8, the yellow quare is a sk68 with dedomed XP-E and the big square is with a normal XR-E.
I think I’m going to really like this light!
Wow! That is a compact hot spot for an XM-L C8. The dedoming is working well there. Maybe I will jump for the Convoy C8 host and put a dedomed XM-L2 in there. Hmm…
By proprietary I meant unique to XinTD. There are dozens of smooth XML C8 reflectors around. (You can even buy replacements.)
XinTD’s reflector is unique becase it’s shaped differently. Slightly deeper, supposedly… This is all according to Intl Outdoor. They used to have a comparison pic on their page for the V3, but I did not see it on the V4 page. (it’s also a screw-in type FWIW)
The sales pitch is it gives better throw. I have not seen anyone measure it though. I’m sure the difference is not huge because the reflectors are not extremely different.
Now, with that cleared up…. I have another question. Did not see it mentioned so hoping someone can answer…
Does anyone know the voltage range of these Convoy C8s?
Do they have a low shut-off or warning?
Can they take 2x CR123A primaries? Or how about 2x 18350 (probly not)?
I heard that they could take 2X cr123's somewhere on here and then I heard that they would work but would 'burn up' if pushed to 6V for a prolonged period of time.
I have no first hand knowledge!
They use a standard NANJG 105C, so in theory it is 2.8-6.0V.
They do have a low voltage warning, somewhere around 2.8 to 3.0V. IIRC.
There are reports that this driver runs very hot on 2xCR123A.
2x18350 has bee tested by a few members and is shown to work for two emitters in series (or one MT-G2). It will not work for a single emitter, as the voltage drop is too high and will like damage the driver.
I lost my first one so just got another Convoy C8 host. I cannot remember how I grounded the driver to the pill as the pill is aluminum. Using the direct drive PCB the seat does not tighten down enough to make contact, so I have to figure something else out, maybe I’d have a better fit with a Nanjg 105c driver. ANy grounding suggestions would be appreciated.
The NANJG grounds better because the chips add thickness. You could build up (not out) the driver edge by soldering on a couple of pieces of 14ga solid copper wire. You probably only need to put it on the battery side of the driver, on opposite edges of the board.
Thanks for the suggestion, I think that is the way to go. I tried building the edge up with just solder, obviously the copper braid makes more sense. However as you point out the Nanjg was what I used the first time and it seemed simpler so I’ll probably just do that and save the direct drivers for another host with a brass pill.
Sounds like a plan.
To clarify, I was thinking to build up the driver edge with solid copper wire (like a piece of electrical house wire), not copper braid. Braid might be a little messier to shape properly.
You’re right, the braid was not the best method. By the time I had it working by making about 4 folds on top of each other, all I got was low mode. So I gave up and tried another driver I didn’t even know I had. When I was removing the wires I also removed a chip, so I chucked that and grabbed a Nanjg 105c. That worked, but for some reason it’s also stuck on single mode, but at least its high mode by the looks of it so I think I’ll just leave it there. This was not one of the better simple projects I’ve undertaken. Now I’m waiting from some Noctigons and XM-L2’s from IOS for the Solarforce P1 and P1D hosts that are next, hope that goes better.
Thanks for the helping hand!
Single mode when not expecting it can indicate a reflector short on the negative emitter wire. That would bypass the driver and result in one mode, direct drive. Might be worth checking.
I was hoping you’d have some ideas on that. I placed one of those PVC spacers over the emitter and the white plastic washer also seated itself nicely into the reflector so I left it there. If I remove the reflector I still get the same result, so I was thinking that perhaps the pill retainer is grounding something on the driver to also achieve the same result?
Thanks for that.
OK, good; that possibility has been eliminated.
Take the driver our and check if any solder from the circuit is sticking up level or higher than the 7135 chips. Also check the inner side to see if something could be going on there.
If you have Kapton tape, you could insulate the battery side of the driver from the retaining ring.
There’s always the possibility that the driver is faulty or set for one mode somehow. Since this is your second driver in there, not sure about that though.
Thanks, I do have that tape so I’ll give it a shot. Hate to admit it but actually my third driver in there, guess due to my poor skill set this has transitioned from a Budget Light to more like something my spouse would buy.
I had somehow completely forgot about these C8's, but I was considering buying one of them as a gift for a hunter friend of mine along with a few batteries and a basic charger. I brought some of my lights out to a bonfire one night, and he immediately said "make me a light, whatever it costs, I'll buy it". Of course I had my triple emitter lights, but I think he would be impressed with this C8 as his first real flashlight.
I was considering buying the complete light, but I love customizing things. The host is only $10 (that's insane), and I have some XM-L2's on Noctigons on the way. Think it's worth it to use those, or should I just buy the complete host with XM-L?
I also saw a few more possible upgrade items and I'm wondering if they are worth it as well...
Brass Pill - http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002799/1208600-driver-pillar-wemitter-slot-for-flashlight-diy Does it fit and is it worth it? Like that you can secure a 20mm star with screws.
AR Coated Lens - http://www.fasttech.com/products/1606/10001022/1203405-ar-coated-optical-glass-lens
SMO Reflector - http://www.fasttech.com/products/1617/10001275/1220100-aluminum-smooth-reflector-for-cree-xm-l-xr-e-xr- or http://www.fasttech.com/products/1617/10001275/1203500-aluminum-smooth-reflector-for-cree-xm-l-led-emitte ?
All of this may have been covered in this thread, I'm just feeling lazy today ;)
Definitely go for the host and build it up… much more fun
Pill will probably not fit. The standard pill is fine if you plan to use a NANJG or QLite driver.
AR coated lens should fit fine.
Not sure about the reflector, but I think it should fit. I’m a fan of the OP reflector, but it probably does trade some throw for a super smooth beam profile.
Thanks!
Does a protected battery closer to 70mm work in this host?
@JonnyC
My 68mm Button top Sanyos fit with a one cent coin on top, so I would say yes (the coin sticks out, but you can cempletely screw on the tailcap without effort.). The driver spring could be shortened also.